Editorial: Academia pushing hard for Prop. 30

2012-09-24 17:53:14

The line behind education and indoctrination never should be blurred, least of all around election time, when passions run hotter than prudence. Also, it is illegal for public universities to use school resources "for the purposes of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure." (Education Code 7054(c)). The California Supreme Court upheld that ban three years ago. In our view, there's an inherent conflict of interest when professors tell students how to vote.

But that ban on electioneering isn't being universally observed when it comes to Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown's Nov. 6 ballot measure to raise sales and income taxes. California State University officials sent professors "talking points," "sample letters to the editor," and "PowerPoints" to push its passage as part of its "tool kit" to highlight how Prop. 30 will "impact" California higher education.

The California Faculty Association, the union for CSU faculty, offers on its website Prop. 30 "Classroom Presentation Materials," which include a PowerPoint slideshow, flyers to give to students and a video, "Prop. 30: An Opportunity to Protect CSU."

Although the materials are presumably paid for by the union, presenting them to students would involve public resources, i.e., classrooms.

It also appears to us that the CSU Board of Trustees joined in the advocacy by voting to impose a 5 percent tuition increase, but only if Prop. 30 goes down to defeat. Steven M. Glazer, Gov. Brown's former political director, is one of the trustees.

More drama: A letter sent by the CSU administration to hundreds of thousands of parents of prospective students warned that CSU might not have a place for their child unless the initiative passes. CSU's tax-exempt foundations also have gotten involved and financially contributed to the pro-Prop. 30 campaign, arguably an illegal act, which the CFA champions on its website. In the University of California system, UC Berkeley wants to reach students on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media with its Prop. 30 Awareness Project.

During the boom years before the Great Recession, the state spent massively on CSU, some $2.97 billion in 2007-2008. Indeed, according to the CSU PowerPoint sent to faculty, even under the most drastic reductions, California would still be spending more money on CSU than it did in 1996-97, $1.78 billion in 1997 vs. $1.81 billion in 2013 (whether inflation was considered was not indicated).

Tuition is at its highest levels in decades, and college administrator benefits have never been more generous. CSU boasts that it trains the state's labor force – 62 percent of agricultural workers; 64 percent of hospitality and tourism jobs; and 44 percent of "media, culture, and design" jobs.

As often is the case throughout government these days, much of the pressure on CSU's budget is attributable to pensions. These need to be reformed. Some professors might prefer their retirement money upfront or as a 401(k).